Religious is too powerful!

[xifeng]

By owning 5 holy cities, I do not need to do much commerce. Does religion really create value?

 

[Arkanin]

It sounds to me like you're playing on a difficulty that's pretty easy if you're able to pull this off. Against people or on harder difficulties, trying to take all the religions is simply unrealistic.

 

[southafrica]

By owning 5 holy cities, I do not need to do much commerce. Does religion really create value?

Ask the Vatican.

 

[Gato Loco]

By owning 5 holy cities, I do not need to do much commerce. Does religion really create value?

Before there were tourists, there were pilgrims. That shrine in your holy city may very well be the center of the world economy. And yes, religion is also a source of great intellectual and cultural value. On the other hand, since priests don't seem that useful as specialists apart from spawning prophets to build shrines, you're going to have to build libraries and theaters eventually.

To realize the trade-off, imagine if instead of being the first person with all those religions, you'd been the first person with iron working and conquered other people's holy cities.

 

[Minsc]

I wouldn't say that religion is TOO powerful, but one of many viable strategies to win.

 

[dh_epic]

Religion works, but I've mopped the floor with the game by avoiding religion entirely.

Pursuing religion also means that you're not pursuing other things. Someone with 5 religions is usually vulnerable to a good horse rush.

 

[xifeng]

Yes, I am only playing noble. By taking down one neighbour, I can own 4-5 holy cities.

other methods work too; however, religion is certainly a plus.

 

[Big J Money]

As to the question: Does religion really create value; imagine if some ressurected form of the Roman Empire had managed to rise and conquer Jerusalem, Mecca, Varanasi and Lhasa in, oh... the 17th century.

I imagine with a religiously tolerant ruler, an Empire like that would be virtually indisputable during the time-period. Of course, it couldn't have happened in our world, but that's what playing Civ is all about!

=$= Big J Money =$=

 

[hahntsak]

in each holy city [founding city] build shrine. build monastery and temples for all faiths in each city. build cathedrals if possible. then spread the faiths to other nations. and watch the tithings trickle in. +1 gp per city with that faith. if you found hinduism, buddhism, judaism, and later confucianism, spread all to different nations. learn theology to use theocracy - even if you don't found christianity. learn feudalism for vassalage, too.

you'll get gold from all cities with faith that you have shrine for [even if not your state faith]. then make sure you get state faith to all cities in addition to any other present. build monastery, temple and barracks.
with vassalage, theocracy, and barracks, your land units are +8 produced! under monarchy those land units give +1 happy for each one present.

if you doubt religion's real life commerce value, I suggest you consider the wealth of the vatican, mecca, salt lake city, jerusalem, etc. one of the reasons some german princes quickly converted to lutheranism was to break the wealth and power of the papal states.

 

[Symphony D.]

Actually, it seems like if you prioritize it, and start as Spiritual, you might be able to snag Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, as they all lie along a single chain with just a few detours, like Writing. Code of Laws is sufficiently advanced that even if the AI gets the prerequisites, it doesn't tend to bee-line for it, so you can probably get whatever other basic techs your need comfortably.

I could also be wrong. But yeah, religion has rather nice commerical value, and historically, got pretty rich. The Catholic Church was the most powerful organization in Europe during the Middle Ages for a reason. Other examples, like the Templars (OK, they invented modern banking, sure) are also abundant.

Not a bad new mechanic all in all, if perhaps a little too politically correct.

 

[evil potato]

Ask the Vatican.

LMAO!!!!!!